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China's external debt rises slightly in 2008

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-24 15:30

China's outstanding external debt reached $374.66 billion by the end of 2008, up 0.28 percent, or $1.04 billion from a year earlier, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) announced Friday.

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Long and medium-term external debt, which accounted for 43.74 percent of the total, stood at $163.9 billion, up 6.74 percent, or $10.3 billion.

Short-term external debt, however, fell 4.23 percent, or $9.3 billion year on year to $210.8 billion.

In 2008, the newly-added debts increased by 0.81 percent year on year, or $291 million, to $36.3 billion.

The nation repaid principals for long and medium-term debt of $23.3 billion, up 14.92 percent and interests $4.15 billion, down 16.22 percent, the SAFE said.